In the area of cosmetic emulsions for skin and hair care, a great number of requirements are specified by the consumer. Apart from the cleaning and grooming effects which determine the intended application, value is placed on such diverse parameters as the best possible dermatological compatibility, good refatting properties, polished appearance, optimal sensory perception and long shelf life.
Preparations which are used for the cleaning and care of the human skin and hair generally contain, in addition to a series of surface active substances, primarily oil components and water. Hydrocarbons, ester oil components as well as vegetable and animal oils/fats/waxes are used as oil components/emollients. To meet high market demands concerning sensory properties and optimal, dermatological compatibility, new oil components and emulsifying agent mixtures are continuously being developed and tested.
The application of hydrocarbons in cosmetic compositions has been long established. Take, for example, mineral oil components and liquid paraffin used as inert oil components. These have the disadvantage from a sensory standpoint that they leave behind a “heavy” feeling on the skin and spread poorly. It is known to use product mixtures of the most varied hydrocarbons with improved spreading ability, as are obtainable in accordance with the methods described in DE 103 17 781 or DE 103 24 508. Such mixtures are difficult to characterize and contain a great number of different single components, whose individual contributions to the spreading ability can only be ascertained with great difficulty.
The object of the present invention was accordingly to provide alternative, easily spreadable, volatile hydrocarbons for use in cosmetics, these hydrocarbons being easily produced with high yields. A further aspect was to produce hydrocarbons that are suitable as a silicone substitute, in order to demonstrate the sensory profile of volatile silicones.